It all started when a little piece of Africa detached itself from the motherland and drifted away. It crashed with the Eurasian continent, and the Himalayas were created. This all happened in the Mid-Permian period.

The Harappan Civilization dwindled and fell, and Aryans arriving from the North gradually took over. Their culture became the dominant one in northern India, and gradually dissipated southwards. They brought the caste system into the land.

The great epics of India were composed at this time. The
Mahabharata came to be about 800 BC, as did the first version of the Ramayana. The Upanishads were written down in 550 BC.

The people of India experienced their first military invasion when Alexander the Great concluded his conquest of most of the known world. Sadly for Alex, he gained a kingdom, but lost a horse.

Native king Chandragupta Maurya threw out the Greeks and united all of Northern India. Asoka was another great emperor who further united India and later spread the Buddha's religion across it. However, the shortlived Mauryan empire did not survive Ashoka.

Chandra Gupta I made a new bicentennial dynasty filled with glory. Science and art flourished, creating fertile soil for the Kamasutra, the Panchatantra, and other great works. The Gupta empire fell when the Hunas invaded from the North. The country fell into centuries of chaos. Eventually, many Small Kingdoms emerged out of the rubble.

The slaves fell out with each other, and the Khiljis, originally a tribe from Afghanistan, overturned the governement. They drove out the Mongols, but ruled only for thirty years. Now the Tughlaqs rebelled and took over. They ruled, expanded, and fell, when in 1398Timur of the Mongols sacked the capital. Once more, India became divided into smaller kingdoms.

Babar, the king of Kabul, founded the Mughal Empire. For three hundred years, this dynasty ruled India. They did not remain Afghan for long, however, but became Indians by assimilation. The Mughals were reknowned for their splendid buildings and art - it was during this time the Taj Mahal was built. However, many of the emperors were also strict Muslims who persecuted other religions.

The Mughals were weakened through fights against the Marathas, but the warring parties were both eventually replaced by the British.

India was become a proper colony as their cotton industry was destroyed and they were forced to import goods from Britain. In The Indian National Congress was formed in 1885 and became the strongest voice for Indian independence. The British preferred not to hear, though. In 1919, General Dyer massacred a great number of people who were protesting the Rowlatt or Black Act, which allowed the governmenet to imprison people without a trial.

Gandhi began his movement of peaceful non-cooperation. He told the Indians to weave their own cloth and produce their own salt. India got some form of independence in 1930, but they wanted total freedom.

'Eighteen languages, 500 dialects, some 30 religions, a million Gods and Goddesses, 300 million individuals, an infinity of castes and sub castes, and a population (that is) practically illiterate and half of which (are) beggars or thieves... Good luck, sir! Such a nation is ungovernable! It'd take you centuries to get anywhere!'. Lord Bevin, personal emissary of Winston Churchill, to Gandhi.

Unable to cope with the strong anti-British sentiments now dominant in the entire Indian people, Britain gave up and ceased to be an empire on August 14, 1947. At the same time, Pakistan was created as a pure Muslim state. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first prime minister of the country.

To Lord Beven in 1947, Gandhi replied: 'India has eternity before her.'